See tomorrow’s perspective a day early—from the insight of a futurist. Curated by Pamela McConathy Schied, MS, Futures Studies in Commerce, College of Technology, University of Houston; Principal, Foresight Communications Group, pam@thinkforesight.com.
On the Horizon
Rosie the Robot, where are you?
While we are inching ever closer to the ideal of what smart home technology can do, much of this fantasy will remain elusive in 2017, says Fastcompany’s Jared Newman. “We are seeing connected speakers such as the Amazon Echo and Google Home, and soon we will start seeing AI technology in the form of virtual assistance in alarm clocks, lamps, TVs and maybe even your fridge that will allow you to search and order items from anywhere in your home,” he writes.
However, high prices and difficult set-up requirements remain major obstacles for most consumers. In addition, these systems still will not do much manual labor aside from the Roombas and iRobots — even though there is developing AI technology that promises robots will soon fold laundry, clean up after the cat, wash out gutters and mow the lawn. While Samsung is adding cameras to refrigerators, comprehensive offerings to replenish the products inside aren’t yet ready for prime time. Newman’s advise, be content for now with some of the best smart home applications of 2017 that simply help you stay informed and entertained.
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